Protests in major U.S. cities over the past week have focused attention on individuals who have expressed opposition to corporate greed and special interest influences on government. The protesters won general praise and support this week from U.S. Senate Democratic candidates during a debate in Lowell and from U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville), who praised their “energy and spirit” and thanked them for “getting off the couch.”

Sen. Robert Hedlund. a Weymouth Republican, this week said he agreed that it’s good for people to make their voices heard, but had a different take on the message he was hearing.

“Making your voice heard is only meaningful if the voice says something intelligent and a lot of these kids don’t know why they’re protesting,” Hedlund said during his radio show this week on WATD-FM.

Hedlund said his view of the protesters was informed by a video put together by Adam Kokesh, an unsuccessful candidate for Congress that Hedlund described as a “media figure” who had put together a documentary. “It was horrifying how ignorant some of these kids that are out protesting are,” Hedlund said.